Acer nitro an515-58 only boots with RAM in one slot after OS reinstall, Installation fails at 82%

Jack1276

My Nitro is about two years old, and my parents gifted it to me. It performed well until recently when I decided to reinstall Windows from a USB stick.

Initially, my laptop wouldn't show any storage devices in the disk section of the installer. I loaded a second USB stick with the correct Intel Rapid Storage drivers and installed them in the Windows installer's driver section. After that, the installer would get to 82% before failing and rebooting with no OS. I've tried everything on the forums but can't find a solution, so I've concluded it's a hardware fault.

First, I replaced the SSD, but the same error occurred. Then I tried a Windows 10 installation, and again, the same error.

This led me to believe the issue was a minor fault with the memory, so I diagnosed it by removing one RAM stick at a time. However, it wouldn't run on either stick on its own; it would only boot with each stick in a specific slot. I couldn't even swap the slots around, as it wouldn't boot then either.

Please note, this was the first time I'd ever been inside this particular laptop. I can usually fix 99% of my tech problems, whether they're hardware or software related.

I'm completely stumped. I believe the problem is either with the RAM or a RAM slot. What do you suggest I do?

Puraw

Hi Jack1276,

Your Nitro AN515-58 is designed for Windows 11, and based on your description, it’s already running that OS. Do not downgrade to Windows 10—you’ll likely run into compatibility issues, especially with BIOS version 2.18, which includes Secure Boot certificate updates and chipset integration for Windows 11 24H2.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Create a fresh Windows installation USB using the Windows 11 24H2 ISO image from Microsoft. This ensures full driver and firmware compatibility.
• If you suspect RAM issues, remove both modules and test one stick at a time:
  • Try each module individually in the same slot.
  • Then swap slots to rule out slot-specific faults.
• If the system only boots with a specific module in a specific slot, it may indicate a faulty DIMM or slot—not uncommon after physical access or reseating.